1-1.5mph increase?!! Wow man...you'd better invest in a sixsixone Prodigy.:thumb:

I don't think I need to go that far - it's still slower than my flat bar road bike. I think the speed increase came mostly in the climbs and descents, of which there are a lot; speed on the flats wasn't too much different (though a bit higher as well). Regardless, it's nice to have to option of riding either bike at a reasonable speed on pavement. I am curious to see how much off-road performance is compromised, though.

You might also look at the nanoraptor -- it's often available quite cheaply. http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product..._10000__200519

I am a reletive novice to "modern" bicycling but I must say that the I am very pleased W/my Kenda Kross Plus tires on my FSMTB & will purchase the same tires for my Specialized Crosstrail hybrid when the OEM tires wear out.

They are good on wet pavement, roll like a road bike tire, are quiet & wear like iron. They are very capable on all but the greasiest mud & loose sand when off road.

Anyone that doesn't try these on a MTB/hybrid that sees a lot of on road useage is missing out. IMO

A similar tire you might want to look at:

http://www.conti-online.com/generator/www/de/en/continental/bicycle/themes/city/trekking/travelcontact/travelcontact_en.html

I've got a set on an old bike, I like them.

One more update on the Kenda Kross: I had them out on dirt for the first time today. Loose dirt and gravel fire road, some areas well-graded, others not, lots of steep climbs/fast downhills. Dropped pressure to 45 from 65. On pretty much everything they were quite good, with two exceptions: on very loose surfaces on steep uphill sections, there were occasional brief losses of traction, but nothing terrible; and coming down a fast corner I caught the edge of a deep dry water channel, which seemed to unsettle the bike more than I would have expected. The latter case may have simply been conditions, or it may have been the abrupt transition from the center tread to the large outer blocks - I'm not sure, but the tires might have contributed. Overall, though, they were every bit as good as the previous tires - considering their advantages on pavement, I expect to stick with them as long as that bike splits time between dirt and road.